Tloj: Here we go, the final battle! I know, shorter compared to the previous chapters, but this is actually normal size. :) R&R!

HERO'S POV

I listen to Crystal explain the plan as the blueprints are laid out in front of us. Smoke eyes them, "Good, so we have a foot in the door..."

"Nice work." I nod. "So we just wait for the time before we go?"

Yesterday we prepared ourselves and did whatever we needed to before turning in. I called and made the appointment yesterday, like making a dentist appointment.

Millie had made a comment that this appointment would be just about as pleasant.

So now, we wait for the final battle.

Spike is rustling through his quills, "So what are our disguises?"

"Business suits. Makes them slightly bigger so we can wear our fighting gear."

Spike pulls out a flurry of black suit pieces from his quills, and then brushes his own back neatly against his head.

"Thanks." I pull a suit on.

Soon we are well dressed. Crystal says, "My face will be recognized from my last visit."

"So go like you did yesterday. He likes you, for all they know he called you again." Antonio suggests.

Crystal nods, and starts looking through Spike's head for a new outfit to work with.

We're soon ready. "Alright, stick to the plan. If things go south, go for Fear."

They all nod. Cinder steps up to me, "Might I suggest my team act as a personal guard?"

I nod. "Me and Anti."

Antonio punches his fist. "Imma deck Daddy-o in the schnozz!"

Spike smirks, and glances at Sonia before jogging over to me. "Ready captain!"

I nod, and we walk to the entrance, walking inside.

Crystal bounds ahead of our group, and leans over the front desk with a smile. "I think Alton is expecting me?"

The secretary gives her a glance before waving her through.

She winks before moving out of our way.

We walk up. "Appointment for Alton Phare." I say, as if I didn't hear her.

The secretary waves us through.

We all load into the elevator, and Crystal presses the button for the top floor.

We wait, and when we get to Alton's floor, he walks in and takes the card. He loads it into a slot and places his hand on a panel, scanning it. "Ready for this?"

I nod.

Crystal puts her head on his shoulder as Reave leans on the wall on the other side of the door frame.

We all ready our weapons as Alton scoots to the side where he wouldn't be seen.

"This is it. No mercy." I murmur.

"What is this 'mercy' you speak of?" Cinder eyes me with a smirk.

I smile at her. "Touché." I pull out my Uzi from my hair.

Suddenly, the elevator screeches to a halt.

Alton blinks. "What-"

"Did you really think it would be so easy?" Robert's voice filled the elevator.

Shade looks up at the roof of the ceiling, "Son of a bitch..."

The elevator doors open with a ding, and gunfire shoots at us. "Welcome to our finest suite, Grandmaster Inn!"

Antonio punches away the blasts. "No use hiding in here! Let's go!"

Reave rolls into the room, drawing his swords as he dodges shots, and cutting down foes.

Alton cowers in the corner nearest to the buttons. "Good luck!"

I nod and make my free hand's ring a dagger, charging forward. I shoot a few foes, slashing those that venture too close.

Crystal eyes Alton, "How did they detect us?!" Then she looks at him in shock, "...You sold us out."

"Wha-NO!" He gasps. "No! I didn't!"

"He didn't have to." Robert's voice filled the room instead of the elevator. "Father has security cameras and such everywhere. We've been scanning the tower for days for dear brother's face. And we just so happened to get it today."

Crystal balls her fists, not completely buying it as Millie charges out, blasting enemies with her fists.

"Well, thanks for your help, kid. Now bug out." Seis pushes everyone out but Alton and himself, turning his sword into its shotgun form and firing it into the console. The doors close as he dives out of it, and the elevator goes to ground floor.

Spike dashes past me with a battle cry, and body parts to flying in his wake.

Organized chaos, this is what's happening.

Speaking of chaos, the water god prefers to make the echidnas he's fighting go unconscious, using his watery physiology to drown them. I watch him for a second before remembering why we're here.

"Focus on clearing the room as fast as possible!" I call. "We need to work our way to the stairs!"

Smoke pulls a grenade from his pocket, and throws it at them after pulling the rig with his teeth.

Smoke erupts from it, and all the legionaries caught in the cloud pass out with a coughing fit; knockout gas.

We run for the stairs, and Seis kicks down the door, diving into the next room and deflecting fire as he destroys everything with his shotgun.

"Clear!" He calls a few seconds later, taking a swig of alcohol.

Reave tosses off his jacket, revealing the guns on his chest, and hips. He draws the ones on the back of his hips, and clicks back the hammers as he crouches around a corner, aiming. "Clear!

I nod, and we go once again up the stairs. I throw open the door, and dodge a... Chaos Spear?

Spike has to flop on his belly to avoid it, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

I level my gun. "Shadow?"

I'm close, the color scheme is the same. A figure in black futuristic armor with red streaks charges me like a freight train. Quills longer than my arm extend from under a helmet that's mostly crimson visor. In its hand is an odd weapon, some weird cross between a sword, and heavy artillery gun.

"...Am I drunk, or does that Shadow have boobs?" Seis asks, blinking.

Both as it turns out. As the new figure tries to cleave me in half I notice the feminine curves. Shade steps in the way, deflecting the slash with her Leech Blades. The new warrior promptly knocks Shade to the ground with a head-butt.

Antonio appears and intercepts any further blows, punching her in the gut hard enough to send her flying into the wall.

"Yeah, she also brought an army of Grandmasters." He says.

A flash of light, and the warrior appears, kicking Antonio across the face with an airborne roundhouse. Then she rounds, and stops just short of smashing my mother's face in. She tilts her head, "Lien-Da?"

"Hello Luna. I hope you want to surrender, because the other outcome isn't in your favor." Mom smiles gently, offering her hand.

The warrior, Luna, puts her weapon on her back, and taking off her helmet. She has red fur with black highlights... And she smiles like we're at a picnic.

"I was gonna say the same to you. Hey Sonic!" She waves.

"Hi Luna!" Sonic waves. "Why are you with Fear?"

Luna tosses her helmet up with one hand, catching it. "Fear promised Ivo that he'd force all the people of this planet to work together by corralling them into one nation. After that the Legion will watch over them."

"Yeah, a nation ruled by Fear." I state. "What happened to free will?"

"It's not like it's mass mind-control," Luna says. "We're just persuading people to make the right choice. Where's the evil in that?" She catches her helmet, eyeing me, "You could help us, otherwise I will have to take all of you down."

"It actually is." I say. "Fear is a powerful thing." I take a fighting stance. "Fear is my father, and I can see the evil in him. You expect me to back down? Heroes don't back down. Not for you. Not for anyone."

Luna sighs, "Sonic? Knuckles? You guys know you can't beat me. Please don't make me hurt you." She puts her helmet back on.

"We're not in charge, he is." Knuckles says, motioning to me. "Whatever he says goes."

Luna sighs, and takes her weapon off her back, "Then I apologize in advance for this. I promise to visit you guys in the hospital."

I frown and ready my dagger, changing it into a sword. "I'm truly sorry about this. But my father must not win."

Cinder steps in front of me, "We'll handle this Hero, you go with the others to find Fear." Spike, and Smoke step up to flank her.

"Thank you, Cinder." I give her the echidnaen salute before running up the stairs again.

Luna leaps at me, but Spike tackles her as Smoke throws a smoke grenade to obscure them.

Seis fingers the trigger of his shotgun, wanting to stay behind and fight. He lowers his gun. "Lemme know if you want more firepower." He turns and dashes after us.

Shade runs next to me, looking determined, "The sooner we succeed the less likely it is that anyone will be too badly harmed."

"Agreed." I nod. We skid to a halt.

In front of us is about ten more Grandmasters.

"Well well... Look who's still standing." Diesel punches his hand, cracking his knuckles.

Millie looks them over, "Wow... Okay, anyone wanna call dibs here?"

"I would... but I wanna deck Dad." Antonio frowns.

"I call a girl." Seis reloads his shotgun.

Reave eyes the collection of warriors... Then charges a lynx wearing a straw hat. He whirls, brandishing his swords to slash her in an X.

She pulls two sais, blocking the slashes. "Hello Nightshade." She states.

"Bride of the Conquering Storm," he says calmly. "It's an honor." He pulls a pair of triggers on his sword handles, and bullets fire along his blades, blasting the weapons from her hands.

She backflips and pulls out some shrunken, throwing them at him. "Indeed. Why ally yourself with the Hero? What has he done for your clan?"

He easily deflects catches them through their center ring with his tail, and throws them back, "It is what Fear has done to them, because of him, and your master Eggman my clan has been reduced to my sister, and myself."

"Sounds more like a personal vendetta to me." She observes, flipping between them and throwing poisoned darts.

"I won't pretend it isn't," Reave replies, turning the darts into splinters before they can make contact. "But with Fear gone the Nagé will lose their power, and the Nightshades can survive."

"Hm." She was done talking, shooting electricity from her hands at him.

He drops a smoke bomb, vanishing as the electricity dissipates the smoke. He's gone...

Suddenly a shadow descends on her, and he jams a poison blade filled with sedative into her.

Electricity surges through him, knocking him out, and dissipating as they both lose consciousness.

"Reave!" Antonio slides and catches Reave.

"Crystal, switch out!"

Crystal snatches up her brother's blowdart gun, and fires on a Cobra with it.

Diesel is about to punch her from behind, but is blasted aside.

Seis blows on his smoking shotgun. "On second thought... I'll just take you all on!" He charges at Diesel.

Crystal nods her thanks to Seis as the cobra nimbly dodges the dart with a hiss.

Counterpunch blasts the cobra from behind with a sonic cannon, kicking a wolf in the nose.

Shade pulls my arm, "We'll cut a path, but you must go!" She eyes my watch, "Copy my abilities, my Leech Blade may be of great use to you."

I nod. "Follow when you can, okay?" I copy her powers.

Shade nods, and kisses me before raising her battle helmet, summoning her weapons as she goes on the offensive.

I watch her lovingly for a few seconds before calling, "Antonio! Let's go!"

Antonio throws away the Overlander witch woman and other wolf he was holding away as he nods and jogs after me. We dash upstairs, bracing ourselves.

Millie, and Crystal flank us, keeping the way clear until we hit the stairs, then running up after us with Shade.

We skid to a halt as red lasers pierce the ground in front of us.

"Good job making it this fair." Robert claps his hands jovially, his eyes smoking. "But you won't be going any further."

"Move it, Ugly," Millie snarls as she morphs her gauntlets into flamethrowers, and fires at him.

"Got yourself a firecracker, eh Tonio?" He smirks and breathes ice breath, combating the flames easily.

She turns her left gauntlet into a rocket launcher, shooting at him as she charges up the steps.

Robert fades out and reappears right in front of her, punching her into a wall with his index finger. "Can't say she's as much of a challenge as I thought, however..."

He jumps back as Antonio attempts to punch him away. "At least I have one."

One of Shade's purple Leech Blades grazes Robert's cheek as she throws it at him, and Crystal looks up at a light fixture.

Robert doesn't even flinch. "Ah, and the second wife of Hero... you're a better challenge..." He seems to flinch, disappearing and reappearing, about to punch her into the ground. Antonio successfully connects his fist to his brother's face.

"Go! We'll finish him!" Antonio calls to me.

I nod my thanks, and run up the stairs.

ANTONIO'S POV

Robert chuckles, about to follow, but he changes his mind when I drill eye lasers into his back.

"Er... you pest..." He hisses, turning to face me.

Millie's fist connects with his face, and with a blast she knocks his head into a wall. She wipes blood from her forehead, "Must run in the family..."

Robert regenerates and kicks her into the wall. "Yeah, I guess so."

I hiss and charge at him, and he chuckles and charges right back at me. We trade a few attacks, none hitting.

Millie looks like she's trying to get up, but hurts too badly, Shade still lies knocked out at the foot of the stairs. Below I hear rapid laser fire, and the sizzling of Chaos Energy.

"Why?" I growl. "Why do this? We can live happy lives without ruling the world! Just look at Hero and I! All our power, and we have family! We have friends! We have lives!"

"I have a life too! I don't need all this weak nonsense you speak of, I could have hundreds more of whatever you have if Father owns the world!" He smirks. "Admit it, you're just being a goody goody because you're afraid."

I roar and punch him successfully in the face, both of us skidding in opposite directions. I regain my traction and run at him again, my fist whistling as I throw it at him. He deflects it with a fist of his own, and we continue trading blows.

"I'm not afraid!" I shout.

"Yes you are. You're afraid that the darkness inside will consume you. That's why you put on this happy-go-lucky attitude, that's why you play dumb, that's why you're weak! You're. Holding. Back." He smirks.

We skid to opposite ends again, and I pant a little, gritting my teeth.

Millie groans, "Courage... Is not having no fear... It's having the guts to spit in Fear's eye. Giving in is easy... You're weak Robert... Weak because you don't have the guts to do the hard, right thing."

"You mean... like kill you?" He turns to face her, his eyes glinting. "Because killing you would, in theory, make all the hate in dear brother's heart come to the surface. And then? Well, then he'd be JUST. LIKE. ME."

Millie smirks at him, "No he wouldn't... My Antonio is a hero, just like his REAL brother. Plus he knows I'd Storm out of heaven to kick his ass if he did that."

He grabs her and raises her into the air. "Let's test that theory then, hm?" He smirks, his eyes starting to glow.

She smirks, "Gotcha." She turns her gauntlet into an energy sword, and jams the blades through his skull sockets, cutting his head in half before slicing off his arm, and limps over to me.

I chuckle at her, trying to stand. I notice out the corner of my eye, something's moving...

"DUCK!" I shoot at her and tackle her to the side, Robert standing and shaking his head, his eyes smoking.

"I swear, your girlfriend gives me SUCH a headache!" He growls.

"Robert, you ARE a headache," Luna says as she walks up towards us, dragging a thoroughly beat Spike by the quills.

"Luna." He nods. "Help me take care of these fool, hm?"

"Why bother? They look pretty well beaten, and their friends down there are down." She takes off her helmet, and glowers, "And I swear, whoever did that to my Storm is in for a WORLD OF HURT!"

"Because my brother is persistent, just like his girl. Killing him is not an easy task, but it is one I would be willing to share." He smirks.

"Besides... maybe he's the one to hurt your girl."

"Oh, come on!" I complain, dropping into a fighting stance.

Luna shakes her head, "No, he didn't do it. His heartbeat didn't jump at all when you said that."

"Still, some assistance?" Robert asks politely.

She shrugs, "What are they gonna do? Seriously?"

Deciding my healing factor has healed me enough, I charge at Robert with a yell, and we start up our dangerous dance anew.

"Like I was saying?" Robert states, focusing on me.

She aims her weapon at me, and blasts me with an explosive, "Okay, point taken."

I kick it back at her with a hiss, punching Robert in the face.

He skids a few feet and wipes a trickle of blood from his nose. "Tenacious little..."

"Shut up and lose!" I roar, shooting eye lasers at him.

Suddenly she's between us, blocking my attack with a wall of gold energy. Suddenly that energy turns red, and flies at me.

I nimbly dodge in between everything. "Fear WILL go down! I don't care who gets in my way, they will fall!" I shout, throwing a fist into Luna's face and sending her flying.

she teleports behind me, using the force of my own punch to knock me to the ground, and then she pins me to the ground through the chest with the blade of her weapon. "Yours isn't the only family that can take a hit, just as big bro Shadow."

I hiss with pain, glaring at her as my vision starts swimming. "Well then... sorry about this Shadow." I look at Millie. "And I'm even more sorry to you... for what I'm about to do."

Millie stares, "No, DON'T!"

Luna blinks, "You've got a beastie in there, don't you?" She jerks her weapon free, taking the wider axe-like part of it, and coming down on my neck with it...

It shatters upon contact with my chest, pitch black smoke coming from my wound and healing me instantly. "You wanted me to embrace the darkness Robert..."

"Indeed, I did." He smirks maniacally.

"Well then you will witness firsthand what I know I am." I hiss, my pupils disappearing. I burst with black energy, black consuming my red fur and dimming my other features.

He frowns. "Wait, what?"

Luna jumps back, "So he has a Dark Form too?"

"Not just that..." I grin evilly, and my hair lifts more, my black fur slowly shifting shades of black, grey, and purple, going faster until I'm like a strobe light. "Dark Hyper better?"

She smirks, "Ha, I was made with Darkness at my core. You can't hurt me, we're the same."

"We'll see about that." I purr, swishing my tail like a cat ready to pounce.

She undoes two rings on her wrist, and holds her hands out to me, "Chaos Resonance!"

It feels like choking as black swirls fly out of me, and into her, turning her fur black, yet she still draws more, intent on sucking me dry.

I hiss and slowly smirk, chuckling before roaring with laughter. "Ah, like your darkness?" My fur turns a sickly pale as spiked balls on chains drop from my wrists and ankles, darkness pouring out of me. "I have to admit, it feels nice to have the darkness."

Luna inhales as the whites of her eyes turn black, "It's like a breath of fresh air..."

"Indeed..." I purr, before disappearing, cutting her feeding off of my darkness.

She cracks her neck, giggling insanely. She sings, "Oh wheeeerre arrrrrre yoooooou?"

A spiked ball nails her from behind, cutting gashes into her uniform as she slams headfirst into a wall. "Hint... not close by..." My voice echoes throughout the room, similar to my Tails Doll voice, but ten times more sinister.

Her body heals up, even mending her uniform, "Oh so you wanna play rough..." she eyes Millie, picking her up by the front of her uniform, "So do I. Maybe you two can join my wife, and I some cold night..."

"Mm, sounds delightful..." My purr rings throughout the room, making even Robert go on edge. Suddenly, four spikeballs land on Luna, pinning her to the ground and making her drop Millie. "...If my Super Demon form doesn't kill you first."

Luna becomes insubstantial as smoke though she keeps her appearance, slipping right out of my bonds. "Now why can't we all just play nice? We're all assholes here, aren't we Robert?"

"Indeed." He smirks easily. My laugh disconcerts him again.

"Don't you get it, hedgehog? You may have a core of darkness, but my darkness runs so much deeper. I've been hiding it for so long, I've forgotten it... but now that I've let it out..."

A path of craters leads up to her, and I'm inches from her face. She attempts to punch me away, but I don't even flinch, a maniacal glint in my eyes. "...It has consumed me." I grab her hand and slam her into the ground before grabbing her face and shoving her through, my force palm throwing her down at least fifty floors.

Millie stares at me, "Antonio... please no..."

I close my eyes, and my form goes back to normal.

Millie stares at me in fear, shaking like a leaf.

"I'm sorry..." I apologize, my eyes opening, my pupils still gone as my hair flares, like I've turn back Dark Super, a black aura surrounding me. "...But I'm far too Lost now..."

"No...No, Antonio, please no..." She stands, and staggers towards me.

I hug her gently, none of my power hurting her. "Robert will fall... and then, my father." I say with quiet focus, surprising her.

"As YOU," she insists. "Not a monster... Please Antonio, if you do this then you're giving them exactly what they want." I notice the tears glinting in the corners of her eyes.

"Precisely." I nod. "And then they'll know why I hide it, keep it in check." I reach into my pocket and pull out my mask, handing it to her. The crystal is glowing brightly.

"Go tend to Shade. She will see Fear fall, and tell of it to all of the clans." I say seriously, giving her a gentle kiss.

She clings to me, "I'm not going to lose you like this!"

"You won't. I promise." I gently push her away, my energy growing stronger as my crystal gets further away.

She clings it to her chest, "...I love you."

"I love you too." I smile at her before turning to face Robert, my energy skyrocketing. "Now... where were we?"

"You're different..." He frowns, taking a fighting stance. "You've held the darkness back so long... you can control it!"

"Indeed. Thought it would drive me insane? Make me a dumb beast for you to control? Afraid not. I'm too... Tonio for that." I smirk.

Luna bursts through the ground behind Robert, and grabs him. "Exit stage right." She walks him into a shadow on their right, and they vanish.

I hiss, and my tail slams the ground with disappointment. "Grr..." My hair goes down as the aura disappears, my pupils coming back. "Next time, Bro."

Millie leans on a wall as Shade forces her way up the steps.

I turn and jog after them.

"Get ready..." I warn. "I doubt Fear is a pushover, and..."

We go up the stairs, and my words die.

Hero stands, shocked, as Fear has a yellow minigun barrel jutting from his right fist right through his chest, blood leaking from his body.

Fear laughs and spins the barrel as he lifts and throws my brother, cutting him in half.

Hero lands in front of us in two halves, staring at us with a blank stare as blood leaks from his body.

"Sh...ade..." He murmurs, tears coming from his eyes before he goes limp, staring at nothing.